The New Zealand Government must halt its free trade discussions with Saudi Arabia after the latest in a long line of very public human rights atrocities. Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said that New Zealand was sending a distressing signal by continuing to negotiate for a free trade agreement giving preferential treatment to Saudi Arabia while they continued to execute people, often with the flimsiest of evidence. “When you have a free trade agreement with a country, you’re giving that...

The Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) has written to the Green Party confirming that it will investigate its complaint about police actions that led to unlawful search of journalist Nicky Hager’s home. The Green Party received a letter this afternoon from the IPCA confirming that it will investigate, after the party wrote to the authority on Monday. A High Court judge last week found that the police warrant and search on Mr Hager’s home, which followed the publication of his...

The Green Party has written to the Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) formally asking it to investigate the decisions made by the police which led to the unlawful search of journalist Nicky Hager’s home. A High Court judge last week found that the police warrant and search on Mr Hager’s home, which followed the publication of his book Dirty Politics, were unlawful. “There are many unanswered questions from the Dirty Politics scandal, and why the police made the decision to search...

The Government’s continued underfunding of Kiwirail is driving it into the ground and contributing to it losing major contracts, such as its Tranz Metro Wellington passenger rail contract today, the Green Party said. “The National Government has driven Kiwirail into the ground and now Kiwirail’s lost its important Wellington passenger rail contract,” Green Party Wellington issues spokesperson Gareth Hughes said. “Ultimately, people who want to travel by clean public transport will lose out if Kiwirail’s viability is threatened by the...

A Ministry for the Environment (MfE) report shows New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are on track to reach record levels in the next 15 years, meaning the National Government’s promises at the Paris Climate Conference last week are ringing hollow, the Green Party said today. MfE’s Second Biennial Report shows climate damaging emissions in New Zealand are on-track to increase 96 percent above 1990 levels by 2030. This comes less than a week after the Government pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions...

Economic growth fuelled by high migration rates is not sustainable, the Green Party said today. Stats NZ released Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the September 2015 quarter today showing that the economy expanded by 0.9 percent. When adjusted for population growth, per capita GDP for the September quarter expanded only 0.4 percent, undoing the previous two quarters of negative per capita GDP growth. “High levels of migration are driving a lot of the current growth we’re seeing in our...

The National Government must honour the Paris climate agreement by setting a deadline for including agriculture as part of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Now is not the time to gamble on “silver bullet” solutions, the Green Party said today. “It has been less than a week since the world signed the historic Paris climate agreement and already the National Government has reverted to its polluting stereotype. We saw Government hock off more of New Zealand’s oceans for oil drilling...

“New Zealanders should be appalled by revelations today that the National Government is denying us deep sea marine reserves so it can promote oil exploration,” Green Party environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage said today.   According to reports by TVNZ, the Minister for the Environment has had to drop planned law changes which could have protected marine life in New Zealand’s deep oceans (known as the Exclusive Economic Zone). “National is saying that all of our deep oceans outside of 12...

The Government must rule out opening any more charter schools, as the first of the experimental schools has just been told it is closing, the Green Party said today. The Minister of Education Hekia Parata has today given Whangaruru School in Northland a month to respond to her decision to close the school. A further 26 charter schools have applied to open in 2017. “The experience of the children who were experimented on in Northland should never be allowed to...

The National Government has today awarded nine new oil and gas exploration permits, in the latest demonstration it has absolutely no intention of living up to the Paris agreement to halt climate change, the Green Party says. “National couldn’t even wait a week after world leaders agreed on a plan to stop climate change before giving out new permits for foreign companies to drill for fossil fuels in New Zealand waters,” Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said. “Today’s oil and...